Sex, Truth and Revelation
by Thanatos1
Summary: What if Superman had to reveal his identity in the episode "Sex, Lies and Videotape" to explain the photos?


  
Sex, Truth and Revelation  
by Adam Labotka alabot1@hotmail.com  
Rated PG   
Submitted April 2001  
__________  
  
  
This is a rewrite of the end of Sex Lies and Videotape that   
asks the question, what if Clark had revealed himself to the   
world to explain the photos. For this story let's say that the   
camera had never been dropped and the photos were indeed real.   
The rest of the story is the same up until the press   
conference.  
  
Thanks to Cindy and Missy for their help editing and tweaking   
this story. Also thanks to Zoom's boards for their feedback   
and letting me know things worked. The characters and ideas   
are not mine, they're DC comics and Warner Brothers. I'm just   
borrowing them for a time.  
  
Feedback is greatly appreciated at alabot1@hotmail.com  
  
__________  
  
Superman stood at the podium, facing the crowd, as he   
prepared himself for what he was about to do. Now that the   
time had come to reveal himself, he wasn't sure where to begin.   
The crowd looked up at him expectantly, waiting for whatever he   
had to say. Attempting to swallow the lump in his throat, he   
began to speak, "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you   
for coming here today."  
  
Clark found himself at a loss for how to continue, should   
he blurt it out or build up to it? Pondering that, Clark   
suddenly had an idea. As the crowd waited with baited breath,   
he began to tell his tale. "It would probably be easiest for   
me to explain if I started at the beginning. A little over   
thirty years ago, a man named Jor-El discovered that his planet   
was going to explode. His wife, Lara, and he decided that they   
needed to save their son Kal-El from their world's fate, so   
they began constructing a space ship for the infant."  
  
Clark paused, scanning the crowd; all he saw were   
expectant faces waiting for him to continue. Then he saw Lois,   
who was standing where he had set her down after rescuing her   
from Mr. Goode's trap. She smiled at him supportively,   
conveying in that look that she would accept whatever came.  
  
After a taking a moment to gather his composure again, he   
continued, "They didn't have much time, but they worked diligently   
and tirelessly and succeeded in building a ship for interplanetary   
travel. The ship was small, just large enough to house a baby,   
but it was enough for their purposes."  
  
Remembering his natural parents, Clark's eyes began to   
water slightly, but Lois' support helped him to keep composure.   
In a strong, determined voice he continued his narrative.   
"Amazingly, they also found a planet sufficiently similar to   
their own that Kal-El would be able to survive there.   
Miraculously, the inhabitants of said planet were physically   
identical to them."  
  
Now Clark's voice began to crack a bit, as he related the   
sacrifice his natural parent's had gone through, to save his   
own life. "The little time they had drew to a close, and Jor-  
El and Lara placed their infant son into the ship and sent him   
on with heavy heart, only a few recorded messages to be   
remembered by."  
  
Clark then paused, on the verge of tears saying, "I'm   
sorry I need a minute; this is hard for me to tell."  
  
The crowd patiently waited as Clark collected himself   
again. He noticed a few of them even had moist eyes, obviously   
feeling sympathy for the couple and what they had gone through.   
He again sought Lois' support and saw that her eyes were also   
filled with tears. Clark realized then that he had never   
really told her the full story like this, only bits and pieces   
at a time. Drawing his strength from some unknown reserve, he   
began again, "So as this tiny ship raced away from the doomed   
planet, it gave its last gasp and exploded. All that was left   
rested in one tiny spaceship hurtling across the galaxy."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Clark went on with his story. "The   
ship followed its course perfectly and came to the planet known   
as Earth. It's journey nearly ended, it fell from the sky and   
crashed alongside a road in Kansas. A kindly couple, who were   
unable to have children of their own, saw the fireball and   
decided to check it out. They came upon a tiny capsule, which   
opened when they approached. Inside they saw a little baby   
boy, who was almost instantly endeared to their hearts. They   
decided to take him in and raise him as their own."  
  
Most of the crowd was obviously moved by this story, and   
a few even had handkerchiefs out and were wiping their eyes.   
Everyone was listening in rapt attention as the story   
unraveled. To avoid keeping them waiting too long, Clark kept   
his narrative going, "Now this little boy grew up much as any   
ordinary boy did, not knowing of his heritage at first. It   
wasn't until he was about thirteen when his differences began   
to manifest themselves. At first, he began hearing things he   
shouldn't have been able to, and to compound things, he began   
to see through some objects. All this scared him immensely,   
and he feared he was going insane. One day, he told his father   
about what was happening, and his father got this strange look   
on his face, before telling him to sit down. The boy then   
heard a fantastic story."  
  
Clark paused for a moment; the memories of this time   
coming back full force. It had been a very emotional time for   
him, and he was lucky to have had such great parents to help   
him survive it. When he felt composed enough, he returned to   
his story, "He was told about how he had been found one day in   
some strange object they thought to be a space ship. They   
didn't know where it had come from, but they thought it might   
be a Russian experiment, or perhaps even one from the US.   
Maybe it was even an extra terrestrial. Afraid of what might   
happen, but concerned for the helpless infant, they hid the   
evidence and pretended the baby was the illegitimate son of one   
of their relatives, who left the baby in their care."  
  
"This was difficult for the boy to swallow, but it did   
help to explain what might be going on. Afraid of what might   
happen, his father having warned him that if people knew about   
him they might want to 'dissect him like a frog', he made the   
decision to keep everything a secret. After many experiments,   
they got him a special pair of glasses to help him learn to   
control his special vision abilities. Being different was   
never easy for him, and he often wished over the next few years   
that he was normal."  
  
Clark was amazed at how easily he had gotten through all that.   
It had been a very rough time for him. It had been very hard   
growing up different. By now he had come to terms with and   
even appreciated those differences, but back then he would have   
given almost anything to get rid of them. It was amazingly   
silent while he wasn't speaking. Clark heard very little   
beyond people breathing and their hearts beating. He realized   
he had what was sometimes referred to as a captive audience.  
  
As he continued to tell the story, it became easier and   
easier. The next set of words came out with almost no effort   
whatsoever, "As his abilities developed, the young man had to   
ask himself a question. 'What was he going to do with these   
abilities?' He made the decision to help people out whenever   
he could, because he was unable to sit by and do nothing when   
he could help. The problem with this was avoiding getting   
caught."  
  
Clark paused to take a breath again before continuing,   
"You see, he still was afraid of people finding out about him.   
He wanted to keep his abilities secret, but every so often he'd   
slip up and he'd move to another place where people didn't know   
him. He traveled the world for many years, since graduating   
college, until one day he came to Metropolis."  
  
Taking another break for effect, Clark looked at all the   
people intent on him. This was it; he was now going to spell   
everything out for them. Sure they could have figured it out   
by now, but that wasn't the same as actually telling them. But   
by now he had no choice but to continue.  
  
"In Metropolis he found what he had been searching for   
nearly as long as he could remember. While he was at an   
interview for his dream job, this fiery, beautiful woman   
stormed in on the interview. He was instantly captivated and   
knew at that instant; he needed to find a way to stick around.   
The problem was how; he couldn't just ignore people in need.   
Well, the very next day inspiration struck; on his way to work   
a man was trapped down a manhole in an explosion, without   
thinking he rushed to the rescue. His coworker, the woman from   
the office, upon seeing the state of his clothing remarked that   
he should do what she did, bring a change of clothes to work.   
This planted a seed for an   
idea. He discussed it with his mother and she designed a suit,   
which would function as a disguise when he went to help. And   
thus Superman was born."  
  
Taking one final break before making the final leap, he   
passed the point of no return. "That woman was Lois Lane, and   
the man was Clark Kent. So you see, I could not be having an   
illicit affair with Lois Lane, because Lois Lane is my wife."  
  
At this, the crowd erupted in questions, both directed at   
him and Lois. "So you've been hiding this from us all this   
time?"  
  
"When did you plan on revealing this?"  
  
"What does it feel like to be married to Superman?"  
  
Superman raised his hand, calling for quiet, "Please   
everyone, calm down. If you will permit me a few more minutes,   
I will answer your questions one at a time."  
  
"First of all, I want to warn any criminals thinking of   
using my wife or parents to control me to forget about it.   
It's been done before and frankly I'm getting sick of the   
attempts. I can't promise to be as gentle as I have been in   
the past if it happens again." Clark said somewhat menacingly,   
looking into the cameras with a cold hard stare.  
  
"Second, I would like to remind everyone that I did this   
simply so I could have a life of my own, in private. I just   
wanted what every man wants, a job, and a family. Having these   
abilities, I feel I need to help out when I can, even when it's   
meant sacrificing part of my own life. I ask you to please   
accept this. There was no ill will, and no one was harmed by   
my secret. I also would ask you to keep my private life just   
that private. When I'm in the Superman suit, at a rescue I'll   
give interviews, but when I'm not, please leave my family,   
friends, and me alone."  
  
Having said what he wanted to, he then prepared himself   
to face their questions. "Ok, now I'll take some questions.   
One at a time, please." Pointing at one of the reporters he   
said, "Ok, you first."  
  
The reporter from the Star stepped forward a bit and   
asked, "So Diana Stride was right then? How do you explain   
both you and Clark Kent showing up at that press conference?"  
  
Clark suppressed a sigh, he should have expected   
questions like this, in fact there were probably more along the   
same lines coming. Phrasing his response carefully, Clark   
replied, "Yes, Diana Stride was correct in her statement that   
Clark Kent and Superman were the same person. I held a press   
conference as Clark Kent and with the help of lasers I had a   
hologram of myself as Superman projected to come by and give a   
prerecorded speech. I didn't enjoy bending the truth, but it   
was the only way, at the time, to keep my secret. I hope that   
satisfies your question, next?"  
  
Clark called on another reporter, this one from LNN, who   
stepped forward and spoke, "Does this mean that you faked   
Clark's death a few years ago at the hand of those rejuvenated   
gangsters as well?"  
  
This time the sigh did escape Clark's lips. So far   
people seemed to be concentrating on the times he had deceived   
them. He wasn't sure this boded well for the future. He hoped   
they would eventually get beyond the fact he had deceived them.  
  
"Yes. At the time, I was investigating a casino with   
Lois as Clark. When Clyde shot me, I didn't have time to   
think, so I just played dead. There was nothing else I could   
do, unless I revealed my secret. I spent the time after the   
incident agonizing about my situation, for Clark Kent was dead   
as far as everyone was concerned. I didn't think I could   
return to that life, and if I did reveal myself, my life as   
Clark wouldn't be the same either. In the end, I was able to   
bring Clark back by claiming to have used Professor Hamilton's   
methods. Thus I was able to return to my normal life, for   
which I was very   
grateful."  
  
"I hope I've answered to your satisfaction. Now I think   
it's about time to end this as I have some peace talks to   
negotiate." With that he flew off quickly, leaving a crowd of   
gaping reporters.  
  
******  
  
Jimmy watched Superman fly off, his mouth gaping open.   
Superman's speech was still processing through his mind. He was having a hard   
time swallowing the idea that Clark and Superman were one and   
the same. Coming out of his daze, he turned to Lois.  
  
"Whoa, that was really CK?" Jimmy said somewhat   
incredulously, and with a hint of awe as well, still having   
trouble reconciling the new information with his previous   
knowledge.  
  
"Yes, Jimmy," Lois said somewhat impatiently. "Look, we   
can discuss this later. But for now we better get out of here,   
before the others recover and realize we're here. We'll be   
mobbed soon if we don't."  
  
Lois half dragged Jimmy along, trying to get a cab.   
Behind them, the crowd finally recovered and remembered that   
Lois and Jimmy were there. The reporters in the crowd began   
chasing after them, wanting questions answered. Lois managed   
to flag down a taxi, and they escaped from the mob of   
reporters, heading back for the Daily Planet.  
  
******  
  
Superman arrived at Randy Goode's offices shortly after   
leaving the press conference. Squaring his shoulders, he   
prepared to enter, hoping that his explanation was enough to   
convince them to let him mediate the peace talks. After   
regaining his composure, having been fairly shaken by those   
questions, he entered the room.  
  
President Kasparov and General Pamchenko looked up as   
Superman entered. They looked at him speculatively for a few  
moments, and Clark began to feel very uncomfortable. He   
feared the worst, that they would take the fact he kept his   
identity secret as reason not to trust him for the peace talks.  
  
After a few interminable moments, President Kasparov   
began to speak, "Well Superman, this is a very interesting   
development. Now I can understand keeping a secret to protect.  
My people can understand this too, I think.I am actually sorry  
you had to reveal your private identity. I think the fact that  
you did, though, shows your commitment to peace. I can do no  
less, if General Pamchenko can agree."  
  
"If Kasparov is willing, then so am I," General Pamchenko   
replied.  
  
Inwardly, Clark breathed a sigh of relief. Revealing his   
secret had worked, and it looked as if the peace talks would go   
on. Clark began, "Good. Now if you're ready let's get started..."  
  
******  
  
After leaving the peace talks, Clark headed back to the   
Daily Planet. Amazingly, there weren't any reporters   
surrounding the Planet, Perry must have done something about   
that, Clark thought. He noticed that a window was open on the   
newsroom floor, the one to the supply closet. Apparently it   
had been opened for him, so he quickly flew in and spun into   
his business suit, when he found the closet empty.  
  
He felt a little strange leaving the supply closet after   
having not been in the newsroom earlier, but there seemed to be   
no purpose to keeping up the pretence anymore. When he entered   
everyone glanced up at him and looked for a moment, before   
returning to their work. Clark was uncomfortable; he didn't   
know how people would treat him now that they knew the truth.   
As he was making his way across the floor to his desk, Perry   
stuck his head out of his office.  
  
"Uh... welcome back son, I, uh, want to tell you that   
what happened doesn't change anything here. Your job will be   
here," Perry said. Then mock sternly he continued, "That is   
assuming you continue to meet deadlines."  
  
Clark chuckled softly, and replied, "Of course, Chief."  
  
When Clark reached his desk, Lois came over. "Hey,   
welcome back," Lois said softly. "How'd it go?"  
  
"Fairly well actually," Clark replied. "They were   
willing to let me mediate after I gave up such a big secret for   
the sake of peace. Luckily, that seemed more important than   
the fact I had kept it secret to begin with."  
  
"That's good," Lois said, with a hint of sadness. "Too   
bad that it had to come to that though."  
  
After a brief pause Lois continued, "Oh, you should talk   
to Jimmy. He's been a bit shell-shocked since the press   
conference. I think it'd help if you talked to him."  
  
Clark looked over at Jimmy and he seemed to be staring   
off into space, oblivious to the world around him. Clark   
sighed inwardly, feeling bad about Jimmy's current state.   
"You're right, I'll go talk to him now," he said.  
  
Clark made his way to Jimmy, slowly. Around the newsroom   
he saw people looking at him, though they were trying to hide  
it. He felt like he was being examined. Shrugging off the   
feeling, he greeted Jimmy, "Hi Jimmy."  
  
Jimmy snapped out of his daze. "Oh, hi CK," he said   
distractedly.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it Jimmy?" Clark said   
quietly. "About what I revealed today," he clarified.  
  
"Yeah, I'm having a hard time reconciling things," Jimmy   
said. "It's hard to believe that I knew you all this time, and   
you were him and I knew him too, yet I never thought..."  
  
Clark interrupted Jimmy, "Come on, Lois is supposed to be   
the babbler. Let's go talk about this in the conference room."  
  
Clark led Jimmy to the conference room and closed the   
door behind them. Closing the blinds for some privacy,   
Clark turned to Jimmy, "Ok, now you can talk to me about   
anything that's bothering you, and I'll try to answer any   
questions to the best of my ability."  
  
"Well, uh, I guess I understand most of it, I just need   
time to come to terms with it. It's just, well, I thought we   
were friends. Did you ever consider telling me?" Jimmy said,   
dejectedly.  
  
"We ARE friends," Clark reassured him. "I never really   
thought about telling you. Since I was a kid it had been   
drilled into me I had to keep my differences secret, to protect   
me and those close to me. I never really told anyone until   
now. I mean it took me nearly two years to try and tell Lois,   
and even then I botched it. Luckily she figured it out herself   
in the end, and later forgave me. But if I ever was to tell   
someone other than Lois, it probably would have been you."  
  
Jimmy sighed in relief, "I think I needed to hear that.   
I couldn't be sure about anything where you were concerned   
anymore. I didn't know how much of it was cover or real."  
  
"I'm still me, Jimmy," Clark said. "I've always been   
Clark; I can just do some things no one else can. That's why I   
invented Superman. He's the fabrication. Clark is who I am.   
Superman is what I can do. It's that simple."  
  
"Thanks CK, I think I'm ok now," Jimmy said, relief   
obvious in his voice and posture. "This really helped. I   
should get back to work before the Chief has my hide."  
  
With that, Jimmy left the conference room. Clark was   
glad he managed to reassure Jimmy, but he wondered how many   
more people were having similar problems. He sighed; he seemed   
to be doing that a lot lately, he mused. 'Time to get back to   
work,' Clark thought. He exited the conference room.  
  
Clark headed for Perry's office, to check in and see what   
he should work on now. He knocked softly on the door and heard   
Perry say, "Come in."  
  
Clark entered the office slowly. He saw Perry sitting   
behind his desk, staring at a picture of Elvis, not really   
paying attention to anything else. Inwardly Clark groaned. It   
seemed Perry was having problems too. Quietly, he asked, "You   
ok, Chief?"  
  
Perry looked up at Clark, "I'm just wondering if I'm   
worth my weight as a newspaper man anymore. I mean, look at   
all these people I've misjudged." Perry sighed as he   
continued, "First there was my friend Bill Church, who turned   
out to be behind Intergang, but I didn't see it. Then I   
defended his son when you guys claimed he took over Intergang,   
and well, I was wrong again. Then there was Senator Black, I   
never even suspected he could be a Nazi. And finally, I never   
even thought you might be Superman. Even when I had reason to   
suspect, I dismissed it."  
  
Clark looked at Perry. He was obviously depressed about   
this. Clark thought about it for a moment, trying to think of   
a way to cheer him up. An idea came to him, and he said   
reassuringly, "Perry, you have to remember in each of these   
cases, they were actively trying to prevent people from   
figuring it out. You knew these people, and you didn't want to   
think bad things about them. In my case, well, I think my   
disguise worked mostly based on the fact that no one expects   
Superman to live like one of them. They definitely don't   
expect to see him working for a living. Also, I'm very fast.   
It might seem as if Clark and Superman were in the same place   
at the same time. Even Lois, as close as she was to both sides   
of me, didn't figure it out for a long time, and I had been   
trying to tell her by then so that might have helped her.   
You're still a great newshound, you know. I have no idea how   
you know some of the things you do know. You just had a few   
blind spots that's all, happens to everyone."  
  
"I guess you're right son," Perry replied, still somewhat   
depressed. "I'll get over it. I'll just doubt myself for a   
little while. Oh, I want you to write this story from your   
perspective, you and Lois. You know, the life behind the   
secret kind of thing, and what it's like to BE Superman."  
  
"Sure Chief, I'll get on it right away. Don't doubt   
yourself; you're one of the best," Clark said with a grin as he   
exited the office. He went back to his desk and talked to Lois   
about the assignment.  
  
******  
  
After work, Lois and Clark decided to walk home rather   
than catch a cab because it was such a nice night. Lois   
entwined her fingers with Clark's as they walked. After a   
while of walking in silence, Lois broke it by saying, "How do   
you feel with everyone knowing who you are, Clark?"  
  
Clark sighed yet again; he had lost count of how many   
times he had done that today. "I'm not sure. A lot of people   
are treating me differently, and it seems to have really   
affected people close to me who didn't know. I feel bad about   
the doubt I seem to have given them. On the other hand, it did   
clear up the problems due to that picture of us. Still, I wish   
there had been another way. It does make things easier by not   
having to make up excuses to get away," he finished with a hint   
of humor.  
  
"What about you? How is it with everyone knowing you're   
married to Superman?" Clark asked, concerned.  
  
"Well, it was nice when all those people who were so   
upset with me apologized. Of course some of the questions   
people ask... Don't they know some things are private?   
Tabloids kept calling about stuff like our sex life at first,   
but after a while I think they realized it wouldn't make much   
news. I mean you and me married isn't much of a scandal," she   
said with a twinkle in her eye. "All in all it hasn't been   
much different than before. People always knew I was close to   
Superman. They just know how close now."  
  
Clark chuckled slightly. "I guess so. Well, so far it's   
been going ok. Hopefully things will continue to go well, and   
no criminals will try to use people close to me to control me -   
like you, my parents, Perry or Jimmy."  
  
"Well, it's been done before and we've dealt with it,"   
Lois said. "I'm sure we can handle it again. In fact it might   
be even harder for them, seeing as everyone knows. Besides,   
that little speech you gave about it, if I hadn't known you, I   
would have been very afraid. You were downright scary with   
that threat."  
  
They both lapsed into silence and continued walking, hand   
in hand, just enjoying being together.  
  
After several minutes of walking, Clark felt a tugging on his   
pant leg and heard a little girl's voice timidly say, "Excuse   
me, mister."  
  
Clark looked down and saw a little girl of about 6 with   
pigtails looking up at him. Squatting down to be on her level,   
he quietly said, "Yes, can I help you?"  
  
She looked at him with a little awe as she cautiously   
said, "Well, umm, are you REALLY Superman?" When she finished   
asking, she ducked her head embarrassed.  
  
Grinning at her, thinking she looked very cute doing   
that, he said, "Yes, I am."  
  
She looked up at him, eyes wide with awe and wonder. She   
said, a note of apology in her voice, "Sorry to bug you, but I   
saw you walking by and remembered what they said on the TV   
about you being Superman. Well, I wanted to tell you thank   
you."  
  
"For what?" Clark asked, curious.  
  
"Umm, well, you see, my daddy was on this plane and it   
was gonna crash. You saved the plane so my daddy could come   
home to me. He told me about it, and how without you he would   
prolly be gone." She gave him a little hug. "You are the most   
bestest person in the whole world, except for my daddy," She   
finished giggling.  
  
Clark smiled at her and was very glad he had managed to   
save that plane. Warmly he replied, "I'm glad I was of help.   
Hey, you want to see something cool?" Clark asked   
conspiratorially.  
  
When the little girl nodded, Clark stepped back a few   
feet. Looking around to make sure nothing was in the way, he   
spun into Superman. The little girl stared at him; eyes wider   
then before, filled with awe and wonderment. "Wow," she   
breathed.  
  
Lois chuckled and decided it was time for her to chime   
in, "You know, that's exactly what I said the first time I saw   
that," she said, amusedly.  
  
The little girl turned to Lois, as if noticing her for   
the first time. "Who're you?" she asked.  
  
"Hi, I'm Lois," Lois said. "What's your name?"  
  
"Oh, I'm Claire," the girl replied. "Hey, you're   
Superman's wife, aren't you? That's what the TV said."  
  
"Yes, I am," Lois answered, carefully.  
  
"Do you and Superman have any children?" Claire asked   
innocently.  
  
"No, we don't," Lois said, quietly.  
  
"Oh," replied Claire, in a small voice.  
  
"At least not yet," Lois amended, smiling slightly to   
reassure Claire.  
  
Clark chuckled as he watched the interchange. "Well, if   
you two ladies are done bonding, I think I'll take Claire for a   
little ride," he said, with a Superman grin.  
  
Crouching down again, he instructed Claire to get on his   
back for a piggyback ride. "Hold on tight," he cautioned her.  
  
"I'll be back in a few minutes, honey," he told Lois,   
slowly taking off.  
  
"I know, have fun you two," Lois responded.  
  
Several minutes later, he returned with an even more   
wide-eyed girl than before. He carefully set her down.  
  
"That was sooo cool," Claire said after a moment of   
recovery. "Can we do it again?" she continued, excitedly.  
  
Clark chuckled as he replied, "Not right now at least. I   
need to be going, but wait just a second."  
  
He suddenly vanished and mere seconds later, he   
reappeared in the same spot. He brought out a picture and   
signed it: "To Claire, It was a pleasure meeting you.   
Superman." He then handed the picture to Claire. "Here you go;   
something to remember this by."  
  
"Wow, thanks," Claire said. "Goodbye."  
  
Claire darted into the nearby apartment building, leaving   
Lois and Clark. Clark spun back into his business suit, and   
rejoined Lois. Holding hands again, they continued their walk   
home, smiling.  
  
******  
  
Later that evening, Lois and Clark turned on the TV.   
Flipping through the channels, they came to a news broadcast   
where the topic was Superman's identity. Curious, they settled   
in to watch.  
  
The news anchor announced, "Earlier today, the world   
watched in amazement as Superman revealed a secret. In   
response to the recent allegations he had been having an affair   
with Lois Lane, a married woman, he revealed that he was in   
fact her husband, Clark Kent. Here's a clip from the press   
conference."  
  
They showed a clip from the news conference where   
Superman said, " I could not be having an illicit affair with   
Lois Lane, because Lois Lane is my wife."  
  
Cutting back to the news anchor, "There you have it. In   
his own words. Now, we've decided to go out on the street and   
get reactions from the citizens of Metropolis. Here is what   
you said."  
  
Lois and Clark watched intently, wondering how people   
were reacting. The first interviewee was a young woman who   
said, "Well, I think it's romantic. Against all odds, this   
tiny baby makes it to Earth, is raised by a caring family, and   
then manages to find love. I'm happy for him; everyone   
deserves to have someone. I wish everyone had as good a reason   
to tell lies. I hope they're very happy together."  
  
Next, they had a middle-aged man in a business suit. "I   
guess you can't blame him for trying to keep his private life   
secret. I mean, look at celebrities and how they get hounded   
all the time. Who wants to live like that? Plus, he has to   
worry about criminals trying to use people close to him to get   
him to do what they want him to. After all he's done for the   
world, I think we should give him a break."  
  
Then they had a sleazy looking man, who kind of reminded   
Clark of Ralph, who said, "I don't get it. I mean, here we got   
this guy, chicks fallin' all over him and he goes and gets   
married? Well, he may be Superman but I don't think he's all   
that smart. Still, you can hardly blame the guy for wanting to   
keep his life a secret."  
  
The last person interviewed was an elderly, grandmother   
type, "I don't know about others, but I respect Superman even   
more now. We take him for granted and seem to have thought   
helping is all he did, but now we know he has a life, from   
which he has to fly away in order to help others. The world   
would do well to learn from such a nice, self-sacrificing young   
man. We could use more people like him."  
  
"There you have it, real reactions from people on the   
street," the news anchor said. "In a poll conducted by this   
news station, a whopping 95% of people agreed Superman had a   
right to keep his life private, and an additional 80% say he   
deserves to be allowed to continue to have a private life. I,   
for one, agree."  
  
As the news turned to other things, Lois turned off the   
TV and looked at Clark. "So," Lois said with a pause. "What   
do you think?"  
  
"I think this might turn out ok," Clark said.  
  
******  
  
Several weeks later, Lois and Clark entered their   
brownstone after work. Lois tossed her purse toward the nearby   
end table and slumped onto the couch. Clark chuckled, "Tired   
honey?" he asked.  
  
"Exhausted, Perry's kept us so busy it seems we haven't   
had time to talk. Between work and Superman, I feel as if I've   
hardly seen you these past few weeks." Lois replied without   
even moving from where she lay on the couch.  
  
"Want me to make dinner?" Clark asked quietly.  
  
"Good idea, I'm famished," Lois answered, sitting up a   
bit at the thought of food.  
  
"Stir-fry ok?"  
  
"Sounds great," Lois said, mouth watering at the thought.  
  
Nodding, Clark entered the kitchen. Checking the   
kitchen, he got out vegetables and some chicken for dinner. He   
began to chop them up quickly; faster then the human eye could   
follow.  
  
Lois listened to the rapid sound of the knife on a   
chopping block from the couch. Yawning, she got off the couch   
and headed for the kitchen. As she entered the kitchen, she   
saw Clark at the stove, putting the food into a wok on the   
stove. Quietly, she slipped into the kitchen and walked behind   
Clark, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind.  
  
"Hi there," Clark said, turning a bit and smiling at   
Lois. "I see you managed to get off the couch," he teased.  
  
Swatting Clark in the chest, Lois replied, "Oh you."   
Lois laughed. "The lure of food brought me here."  
  
Clark chuckled, "Well it'll be a few more minutes, you   
can set the table though," he said with a grin.  
  
Shaking her head, chuckling softly, Lois set the table.  
  
A few minutes later, Clark dished out the stir-fry and   
they sat down to eat. Taking her first bite, Lois closed her   
eyes and let out a long, "Mmmmmm. Delicious as always Clark."  
  
Clark, a bit mesmerized watching her eat, recovered   
slightly, "Thank you, I try my best," he replied with a grin.  
  
After eating in silence for a while, Lois cautiously   
said, "So, how do you feel about everyone knowing about you,   
Clark? How have things been going now that people know?"  
  
Stopping mid bite, Clark considered for a moment before   
replying, "It's very strange. People sometimes come up to me   
in the middle of the street to thank me. While I like hearing   
from the people I help, it's very disconcerting for it to   
happen to me when I'm not in the suit. I'll get used to it   
someday I guess..." Clark trailed off, taking a bite of food   
distractedly.  
  
"What I really don't like is the way the press tries to   
hound me though. I'll be doing just any ordinary thing, and   
they start coming up to me with questions, examining what I do.   
Thankfully that's dying down. It seems my refusing to give   
them interviews as Superman if they bug me while I'm not in the   
suit is working. Overall, I'm learning to live with it, though   
I'd much rather not have everyone know," Clark sighed.  
  
Suddenly, Clark's expression turned to worry as he asked,   
"What about you? How are you holding up with the whole world   
knowing your husband is Superman?"  
  
Lois stared at her food for a moment, playing with it   
with her fork, before quietly saying, "I don't enjoy being on   
the other side of the news. Suddenly every little thing I do   
seems to become vital news, sometimes. Though apparently our   
domestic life is pretty boring, as they've stopped being   
interested in what I buy at the store. Aside from what you do   
as Superman, not much interesting has been happening. Except   
for when that guy tried to kidnap me."  
  
Lois chuckled, as she continued, "I think he messed his   
pants when you came out of the building. I think he figured   
you'd be out and he could take me easily. You sure showed him,   
" Lois finished smiling.  
  
Clark, on the other hand, was frowning. "I don't think   
it's so funny. What if I had been out at a rescue? He would   
have had you! I had hoped no one would try to kidnap you, but   
it seems it was a false hope."  
  
Lois put her hand comfortingly on Clark's arm. "Hey, I   
knew the risks when I married you. Besides, you were there,   
and after the way you handled him I don't think anyone else   
will be trying to kidnap me anytime soon. So, yes, I'm doing   
fine. How are your parents coping, Clark?"  
  
"Oh, they're doing fine. The entire town is helping them   
out. Seems they're really grateful for everything I've done   
there and help keep my parents from being bothered by   
reporters. Rachel's been arresting reporters for loitering   
when they try staking out Mom and Dad's place, so they've given   
up. Mom and Dad are having a much easier time of it then we   
are it seems."  
  
Lois got up and put her arms around Clark from behind.   
"Whatever happens, we'll get through it together. We managed   
to get this far, and hopefully, things will only improve."  
  
Smiling up at Lois, Clark said, "You're right. What   
happens will happen. We can't change that everyone knows. I   
said it before and I'll say it again, being with you is   
stronger then me alone. So together we can get through   
anything."  
  
As Clark leaned back into Lois, he thought maybe   
everything would be ok. Sure the reporters were still causing   
some problems and the criminal element wasn't cooperating, but   
overall, people seemed to accept his secret. He smiled fondly   
as he remembered Claire, whom he met the night after the   
revelation. With people like her out there, everything will   
turn out fine.  
  
The End  
******  



End file.
